Pedal-propelled road vehicle



PEDAL PROPELLED ROAD VEHICLE Filed Feb. 13, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l HTTOHNEY Dec. 8, 1931. w. LINES 1,835,229

PEDAL PROPELLED ROAD VEHICLE Filed Feb. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JRZ.

/N VE N 70R HTTORNE V Patented Dec. 8, 1931" a i v i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j y i WALTER m onnmv, nonn'on, nNeLAivn I r v rnnzrn-rn orntnnn im VEHICLE 1 1 j p An em a filed stea es, mag no. 428,209 and in Great B ritain February 15 1929. 7 This invrintionha's reference to pedal-pro present invention, and adapted for'carrying a if pelled road vehiclesand comprises certain pedal'and connecting-rod"back-axle drive, is

improvements, as hereinafter 1 described, shownin the accompanying drawings Wherewhich are particularly applicable to the in i T z ehassis-ofvehicles suchasare intended to be lfl igui'e lis an elevation, and I J, j .i 55

mounted with mutation or mimatnre motor- F.1 gure2 isa plan of the chassis. I car bodies and/or w th seatingaccommoda Figure 3' Is an enlarged elevation of one-of tion for a juvenile driver who propels the the front pair of connecting lugs, and vehicle byworking pedals which, through a Figured is a similar View of one .of the 10 suitabletransmission gear, drive a backaxle rearzpair of connecting lugs. V to which therearroad-wheels are connected. 'The sameletters of 'referenceindicate cor- According tothe'said invention the main' responding parts in-the several figures of the frame of thechassis consists ofa pair of "drawings. V @f' H 7 main side-members, each of whichiis eon- (In-theconstruction ilhlstrated,"the chassis. nected'lngs jilnctijon-pieces':to 'ektension frame comp'risesapair of substantiallyparal members, which extensions-are located above lelmain side members a a on which'the body quarter-elliptic springs from'which the road-' or seating accommodatiomof the vehicle is wheel axles are suspended, andwhose shanks mounted, and the two'ends of each of these are secured to the frame by brackets thatipref- 7 main membersare each connected, by lugs 5 erably are'embodied in the lugs 'orvj'unetions 01 junction pieces I) b to extension members connecting the main: frame members Withthe 0' c which are 'up-swept .or elevated in irelaextension members. a 1 tion to the said main membersythe' up-swept' The front pair of spring-brackets also extensions atthe front-and rear of the frame v carry bearings for" accommodating the being tied togetherby cross-inembers d d -t0 spindles ofapair of pedal-cranks pertaining produce a substantiallyrectangular:rframe. 7; to the rear axle drive, Whilst the bearings The upsweptextensions'may,if desired, be for the said rear 'anleare carried inhousings continued beyond the front and rear crosssecnred to the free ends of the rear pair of members to form hracketsc' 0 on which laminated springs. The rear axle may be imitation or miniature car-type bumpers or cranked and the drive'connections between other accessories maybeanounted,Whilst the U0 the pedal cranks andthe"rearzaXle-cranksj reariup-swept membersmaybeprovided with may consistofconneCting-rods having roller lugs or other fittings to enable the mounting or other anti-friction bearings interposed be-, thereon-of mud guards. for the rear roaditweentheir-rear ends and the'crank-pin's of Wheels. g a a the pedal-driven axle. The lngsror junction pieces b'b above re- Since the inventionxis mainly applicable to ferred tenet only serve to connect the main affour-wheeled vehicle having a motor-car side-members tothe lip-swept front andrear type of steering gear and a connecting-rod extensions, but*are"also adapted tox 'ser'veuas and crank-type: transmission from the pedalanchorages. for a system "of quarter-elliptic cranks to a cranked back axle, the various imsuspension: springs: ':e which are carried provements Fconstitutingi'the sa-meare l1ere-. inpairsbelow the Lip-swept frame members inattei describedin their:application tosuch at both front and rear of the chassis. F01.- avehicle, although it-isto beu'nderstood that this purpose, angle-sectionedr-brackets b 411 certain of the said improvements "may be are extendedfrom each junction-piece, the 5 applied, Wholly or in part, to three-Wheel brackets?) of theiront junctions: bbeing vehi'clesand/orto vehicles inwhichthe'transextendedforwardly, and those frofmthe back mission from the operatingpedal-cranks to junctions 5 being extended-rearwardl'y,uh alive back-axle is of the'chainsand -sprocket, der the frame-extensions,l and the shanks of type; the springs are suitably'bolted to their re- A "chassis .cons'trneted' -accor-dihg to the spective brackets. Theforward extremities of the front pair of springs c are attached directly to a front axleanember f, whilst the rearward extremities of the two rear springs are attached to housings g for the main bearings g of a live rear-axle 9. Further, the junction-pieces b to which the front springs e are anchored are formed or provided with transverse bearings h to accommodate the spindles 71 of a pair of driving cranks in, which are suspended from the said spindles on the inner sides of their complementary junction pieces and carry the driving pedals 7c in convenient relation tothc driving seat that is mounted on the main frame-membe1s to the rear of the pedalcranlx. One of the rear-springs c prefers ably the right-hand one, may be furnished with a bracket that serves as an anchorage for a hand-brake Z which is arranged to act upon a drum fixed to the corresponding end of the axle, and may be operated byahandleverZ mounted on the main frame within convenientreach of the driver.

'Each pedal crank is coupled, by a 'connecting rod 75- to a crank-formation g in the back-axle 9 whose bearings are, as already stated, suspended from the rear springs, and whose axle-arms are extended outwardly beyond the said bearings and fitted with the driving road-wheels. This back-axle may be produced from alength of solid rod or tubing bent or fashioned to produce therein, a pair of crank formations to which the connectin rods from the pedalcranks are respectively connected.

Ball or roller bearings are preferably interposed between the rear-ends of the connecting rods 70 and the crank-pins or journal portions g of the back-axle, and when the said axle is produced byfashioning or bending a length of rodding or tubing, the con struction and assembly of the connectingrods and their bearings may be simplified by fixing orlocating the bearings g in their prescribed positions on the axle, and assembling the connecting rods thereto, whilst'the axle-rod or tube is-in the straight; i. e.,before the said rod or tube is bent or fashioned to produce the crank formations. This may be realized by passing or threading the bearing-units over the ends of the straight rod or tubeto the parts of the said rod or tube which eventually constitute the ournal-portion of the cranks and positively locating said units in such position by some method or means that confines them against lateral displacement, such for example, as by punching studs or stops out of the axle-metal at, and closely adjacent to, the opposite sides of each bearing. hen, the solid or unsplit sleeve ends Z3 of the connecting rods Z2 are likewise passed over the axle rod ends and assembled over their repective and previously-located bearing units, after which the fashioning or bending of the axle-rod int-o the desired. d mble-crank formation is pro-- cceded with. After the cranking of the rod, the main bearings 9 may be applied and housed in the anchor-brackets g by which the said main bearings are suspended from the rear-springs of the chassis, the assembling of the connecting-rods of the pedal cranks 70 being performed either before or after the axle has been assembled to the rearsprings.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A chassis for a pedal propelled vehicle comprising a pair'of substantially parallel side-members, two, pairs of upswept or elevated end extension members, lugs for connecting one of the extension members to each end of each of said side members, and means for connecting axle suspension springs to said lugs.

2. A chassis for a. pedal propelled vehicle comprising a pair of substantially parallel side-members, two pairs of upswept or elevated end extension members, lugs for connecting one of the extension members to each end of each of said side members, extensions on said lugs and means for connecting axle suspension springs to said extensions.

3. A chassis for a pedal propelled vehicle comprising a main frame consisting of a pair of substantially parallel side-members, each end of which is connected to an upswept or elevated extension member by a junction that serves also as an anchorage for an axle suspension spring, the pair of junction pieces to which the front springs are secured having hearings to accommodate the spindles of a pair of pedal cranks.

t. A chassis for a pedal propelled vehicle comprising a main frame consisting of a pair of substantially parallel side-members, an upswept or elevated extension member at each end of said side-members, means for connecting said extensions to said side-members, axle suspension springs and means formed on said means for connecting the side and extension members whereby said springs may be anchored thereto, wherein the means for connecting the front extensions to the side frame members are formed with bearings adapted to accomodate the spindles 0f the pedal cranks.

5. A chassisfor a pedal propelled vehicle as claimed in claim 3 wherein the pedal cranks are suspended from their respective spindles on the inner sides of their complementary junction pieces and transmission rods connect the pedal cranks to a crank rear axle.

6. A chassis for a pedal propelled vehicle comprising a main frame consisting of a pair of side-members, an upswept or elevated extension member at each end of said sidemembers, unctlon pleces for connecting said extensions to saidsideqnembers, axle suspension springs, means formed on said junction pieces whereby said spring may be anchored thereto, pedal cranks, bearings in the front pair of junction pieces adapted to accommodate the spindles of said pedal cranks,

a crank rear axle and transmission rods connectlng the latter and said pedal cranks.

7. A chassis as claimed in claim 6 wherein the crank rear axle is produced by bending or shaping a length of rod or' tube and bearings for the transmission connecting rods are applied to and located upon the rear axle prior to the crank bending operation.

8 A chassis as claimed in claim 6 wherein bearings areassembled and located on an axle rod or tube and the drive transmitting connecting rods are assembled over the bearings prior to the said rod or tube being fashioned or shaped to produce the crank formations.

9. A chassis for a pedal-propelled Vehicle comprising a pair of substantially parallel side members, a pair ofupswept or elevated extension members located adjacent the forward end of said side members, a further pair of upswept or elevated extension members located ad aCent the rear end of said slde members, lugs-for connecting the said upswept or elevated members to thesaid side members,

ineans-for connecting said lugs to axle suspension springs and bearings in the lugs at the forward end of the said side members for carrying the spindles of the pedal cranks. In Witness whereof I aflix my signature.

' WALTER LINES. 

